Almost every Design Indaba presenter refers to their country or city of origin as being formative to the success of their design approach and ethos. The evidence stacks up annually as one case study after the next demonstrates that the best design solutions grow out of a sense of place, context and location and are fundamental to inspiration.

Easily the most mythical of all designers - part alchemist, part shaman, with the sensibilities and integrity of the Dalai Lama, Thomas Heatherwick was back on the Indaba stage after an absence of nine years.

City branding or country marketing is not a new phenomenon. Post World War II it was imperative that countries particularly cities, rebuild themselves and use marketing strategies to enhance and promote the better image of the country or cities for reasons such as attracting tourism, attracting business, talent and resources.

The Johannesburg International Motor Show kicks off this week and thousands of visitors are expected to stream through the exhibition halls of the Johannesburg Expo Centre between 18 and 27 October to view some of the latest and most exciting vehicles yet seen in this country.

Exhibiting can be daunting, especially because it can be one of the more costly marketing options for your business. To make sure you manage the process properly, and see ROI, I recommend you follow five simple steps.

The human UI (or the interface where the human body meets machine) made quite a few appearances on the first day of the 2013 Design Indaba Conference which took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). [video]

With information and media channels currently at critical mass, clarifying the state of design today has become more important than ever. Many of Design Indaba day-one speakers demonstrated how design thinking is showing the ways for business and even governments to balance traditional best practices with new uncharted technological territories.

It's that time of the year where agencies are asked to haul out the old crystal ball and provide pearls of thumb-sucking wisdom. Before we do so, it would be wise to see how history might repeat itself. Reflecting briefly, for experiential marketing, 2012 was quite a year locally and abroad. Oh, and mazeltov on surviving the Mayan apocalypse - it was touch-and-go for a second there.

Designers, wishing to exhibit their product designs, are often worried about copycats lurking at the exhibition waiting to pounce on prized creations. Here are a few helpful pointers to help navigate the way through the intellectual property dilemma many designers face during exhibitions.

In reviewing the past few years from an events perspective, I'm tempted to ask: "Where did all the fun go?" As both the South African and the international events industries have grown, developed, matured and become increasingly competitive - all within the context of the global economic crisis - I might be forgiven for thinking that the game plan has changed.

I am hopelessly infatuated with news. It's been a 28-year tempestuous love affair and one that I don't think I will ever get over. Captivating headlines, startling images and spicy stories leave me all at once breathless and adrenalised, infuriated and heartbroken. And I wouldn't swop these highs and lows for the world. I'd feel so much poorer without the rush.

The health, sexuality and lifestyle expo, better known as Sexpo, is settling its sexy ass at the Expo Centre NASREC in Joburg later this month. We interview project manager Avril Swaffield and get the low-down (pun intended) on some of the sexy happenings that attendees can expect this year: martial arts, Playboy Playmates, swingers' clubs and much more are all in the plans - oh my.

This year, the big winners at the Design Indaba Expo were jeweller Kirsten Goss, whose Lily Pad Ring is the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa 2012; graphic designer and Creative Stand winner Mike van Heerden; and Andy Cartwright of Andy Cartwright Homeware, who walked off with the inaugural Innovation Award. Bizcommunity.com finds out what these wins mean and how the expo was for them, as well as their plans for the future.

Studying at the AAA School of Advertising has given me the opportunity to go to the Design Indaba Expo for the last three years. Each year I am blown away by the creativity and innovation that moves through the veins of Cape Town, its surrounding areas and the rest of South Africa. What was most interesting about this year's event was that it had a much more "personal" feel to it.

It seems like graphic designer John Bielenberg will not be defined solely by his creative credentials. And there are plenty of those, including armfuls of awards, exhibitions, honorary degrees and fellowships. Bizcommunity.com had a chat with this Design Indaba 2012 speaker.

Cape Town is gearing up to host one of the world's premier design conferences - the 2012 Design Indaba. Design Indaba regular and Pentagram partner Michael Bierut will MC this years' event alongside Michelle Constant and Khaya Dlanga. The conference takes place 29 February-March 2012 at the CTICC and the expo (which is open to the general public) takes place 2-4 March 2012.

Smart printing, that fulfils a particular need or niche, will survive the digital shift into 2012 and beyond. I like to think that print will never disappear. With many people spending their entire working day in front of a screen or glued to their smartphone, easing the commute with a newspaper on the Gautrain or relaxing in the bath with a book after a long day are some of life's great luxuries.

Advertising analyst Andy Rice believes Andrew Human's resignation as the Loeries CEO is not an untoward event. "In my opinion there is absolutely no reason to consider Human's resignation as 'unexpected', if by that you mean that there is more to it than meets the eye," he said.

Since its inception a decade ago, Bizcommunity.com's subscriber base to its popular newsletters has grown to 241 000 subscriptions across Marketing & Media South Africa and Africa, Retail and Medical. Subscriptions to the new portals before the launch last week were already in the tens of thousands without any active marketing - the power of content.

The 2011 Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo (BOFE) opened its doors yesterday, Thursday, 15 September 2011, at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg, drawing scores of people looking for new business opportunities or ways to grow existing ones, while speakers geared up to teach business lessons and exhibitors unveil the content of their 'safes' to the world.

Toby Shapshak is a widely respected journalist and editor. Apart from editing gadget magazine Stuff, which launched in South Africa under his editorship in November 2007 and has since seen excellence circulation growth, he is a columnist for The Times and a contributing editor for Business Day's Wanted magazine - and now he is also taking over from Kevin Fine as host of the weekly Biz Takeouts radio show.